Benton County Democratic Central Committee

Our annual Build Blue Week kicks off Monday!

For four days, we’re hosting some of the top names and elected officials in progressive politics to discuss their experiences, share insights, and provide you with the tools to hit the ground running in 2024.

Learn more about each event and register below!

Down Ballot, Up Ticket: How Democrats Win in 2024

Monday, October 2 at 1pm ET

Our kickoff event will set the stage for what’s to come for the week ahead and 2024 as a head. Leaders will lay out the importance of building grassroots support. Local races and Democratic victories down-ballot build momentum that rises all the way to the top!

Re-electing President Joe Biden is of course a top priority. But that energy can work in tandem with local and municipal races! Bring your ideas and thoughts to this in-depth, strategic discussion.

Cultivating Local Donors for Long-Term Change
Tuesday, October 3 at 1pm ET

Fundraising is the foundation of any campaign, local, state, or national! But in the face of economic uncertainty and an ever-changing charitable giving landscape, it’s essential that campaigns are savvy with their asks to donors.

This panel of fundraising experts will go over new, innovative strategies for building and maintaining financial support within your community. Dive into their unique and creative fundraising strategies that you can use on your own campaign or in your local party.

Coalition Building for Community Change
Wednesday, October 4 at 1pm ET

It’s on progressives to build organizing programs that can reach voters persuasively and resoundingly. Not only that, authentic, long-term relationships with supporters go far beyond Election Day.

Wednesday’s panel brings together organizing pros to discuss their own experiences rallying support. Learn how your campaign or organization can adapt and garner as much support as possible ahead of Election Day.

Messages That Connect: Local Issues & National Narratives
Thursday, October 5 at 1pm ET

Political polarization has been top of mind for Americans for years. In fact, nearly half of the population consider themselves Independents. Voters are inundated with messaging from across the political spectrum, so progressives need to be clear and decisive in their messages.

And it’s not just the content of these messages that matter; there are countless ways to reach voters whether it’s digital or in-person events. That’s why we’re hosting communication experts who will share their own strategies in reaching voters, especially amid right-wing misinformation.

And it doesn’t stop there! You can always visit the Online Academy’s Course Catalog, set up a free account, and keep track of your progress while taking advantage of our extensive course offerings.

And it doesn’t stop there! You can always visit the Online Academy’s Course Catalog, set up a free account, and keep track of your progress while taking advantage of our extensive course offerings.

Build Blue Week is just one week away! And with that, welcome to the fourth and final edition of Build Blue Digest. This is your weekly, central source for all things Build Blue Week.

Don’t miss your chance to register for our upcoming Build Blue Week events. Our lineup includes some incredible panelists, including leaders from President Biden’s re-election campaign, fundraising professionals from orgs like ActBlue, and amazing candidates from across the country to share how you, no matter where you live, can help Democrats build long-term power and win in 2024.

Monday, October 2, 1-2pm EST:
Down Ballot Up Ticket: How Democrats Win in 2024
RSVP here.

Tuesday, October 3, 1-2pm EST:
Cultivating Local Donors for Long-Term Change
RSVP here.

Wednesday, October 4, 1-2pm EST:
Coalition Building for Community Change
RSVP here.

Thursday, October 4, 1-2pm EST:
Messages that Connect: Local Issues and National Narratives
RSVP here.

The final day of Build Blue Week digs into messaging tactics and insights in Messages That Connect: Local Issues and National Narratives . A sound communications strategy and story of self are essential pillars in getting your name or organization more recognition and validity in your community. While focusing on local matters is essential, you can strengthen your strategy by building coherence with national progressive priorities.

First, let’s talk about ways to reach voters. Scholars of communication and media have long emphasized the notion that the medium is the message, meaning the way messages are communicated are equally if not more important than the contents of said message. Now more than ever, Americans connect with one another on a daily basis using two or more methods of communication . For campaigns, this means your strategy needs to consider a multimodal approach; only using one method won’t cut it when it comes to reaching voters. From social media platforms to physical literature, there are lots of ways to accomplish this.

On top of developing your own message and story, Democratic campaigns have to combat obscene levels of misinformation, both from social media and conservative campaigns and influencers. It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that the January 6 insurrectionists used Facebook to coordinate much of their attack and other gatherings. Social media is a double edged sword. While it’s true that it might be one of the most organic, effective drivers of voter engagement, it also spreads misinformation like wildfire.

These takeaways are a starting point for the conversations and more happening during Messages That Connect: Local Issues and National Narratives, happening next Thursday, October 5.

And don’t forget about the rest of the week’s awesome lineup below!

In the New Speaker Spotlight section, we’ll highlight new speakers added to events this week!

The first day’s kickoff panel, Down Ballot, Up Ticket: How Democrats Win in 2024, will feature Leslie Martes, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee’s Vice President of Political and Strategic Initiatives! She works to elect Democrats in key states and achieve progress in state legislatures across the country. Prior to joining DLCC, Leslie served as the League of Conservation Voters’ State Electoral Campaign Director, working on strategic political programs with LCV’s network of state leagues to elect climate champion Governors and State Legislators.

Then don’t miss LGBTQ+ Victory Fund’s Eliza Fox in our Down Ballot, Up Ticket: How Democrats Win in 2024 panel. Most recently, Eliza went from field director to campaign manager for VA Delegate Irene Shin, the first Korean American woman elected to the Virginia House. In her current role as the Political Manager at LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, she supports the organization’s mission in electing pro-choice LGBTQ+ candidates across the U.S.

Relevant Resources will be your hub for learning guides to supplement the week’s events! Learning guides include guiding questions, links to other relevant coursework, and more.

This week, check out the learning guide for Messages That Connect: Local Issues and National Narratives, which covers messaging and communications strategies.

Highlights include:

• NDTC Storytelling Workbook: Make a copy of this Google Docs template to guide you through the basics of effective storytelling to build connections with voters, volunteers, and donors, and more.
• Messaging Basics Course: This course provides a comprehensive overview on developing a messaging plan and strategy for your campaign or local party. There are several worksheets and resources throughout to help you develop a message that is both persuasive and unique.

Build Blue Week brings together a diverse and representative lineup of elected officials, top campaign experts, and leaders of Democratic organizations to provide tools and insight to further Democratic values in your community. Learn more about the events coming your way October 2nd through 5th.

Congratulations to the most recent wave of winners from the Massachusetts Primary Elections who have trained with NDTC!

We are so proud of the change they continue to inspire in their communities! In 2023 so far, we have 165 primary winners and 41 general election winners who have used NDTC resources or taken trainings.

Keep the learning going and sign up for your next event to take you ever closer to Election Day.

How to Put Your GOTV Plan Into Action
TODAY, September 22 at 1pm ET

As we head into the GOTV phase ahead of Election Day, ensuring your plans come to fruition should be top of mind.

This training will rehash the basics: from creating timelines to goal-setting. Then, get the best insights on maximizing your volunteers, being flexible to the ever-changing campaign landscape, and running an effective GOTV drive.

NDTC Expert Q&A: Hispanic Democrats Working Towards Change
Tuesday, September 26 at 1pm ET

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the diverse and trail-blazing accomplishments of Latino and Hispanic Americans everywhere! We’re bringing together an amazing panel of elected officials to discuss their own experiences running for office, challenges they have faced, and how they overcame them.

Join panelists Georgia State Senator Jason Esteves and Phoenix-area School Board Member Tamillia Valenzuela to learn more about their candidacies, roles, and more.

NDTC Build Blue Week
Monday, October 2 through Thursday, October 5

You might have noticed that there are only a handful of September events left.

That’s because at NDTC we’re all hands on deck for making this year’s Build Blue Week our best one yet!

Build Blue Week consists of four in-depth panel sessions during four consecutive days. These panels, ranging from messaging to local fundraising strategies, will bring together Democratic leaders, experts, and elected officials.

Centered around the theme of Down Ballot Up Ticket, we’re taking a deep dive into the tactics and experiences that build grassroots progressive support that will reverberate all the way to the top of the ticket.

Monday, October 2: Down Ballot Up Ticket: How Democrats Win in 2024

Tuesday, October 3: Cultivating Local Donors for Longterm Change

Wednesday, October 4: Coalition Building for Community Change

Thursday, October 5: Messages That Connect: Local Issues and National Narratives

And it doesn’t stop there! You can always visit the Online Academy’s Course Catalog, set up a free account, and keep track of your progress while taking advantage of our extensive course offerings.

And it doesn’t stop there! You can always visit the Online Academy’s Course Catalog, set up a free account, and keep track of your progress while taking advantage of our extensive course offerings.

Welcome to the third edition of Build Blue Digest. This is your weekly, central source for all things Build Blue Week. Every Wednesday, look forward to hearing about new speakers, campaign insights, and resources to get you prepared for the various events taking place throughout the week.

Let’s recap our Build Blue Week schedule – which is just under two weeks away! Spots are filling up fast so don’t wait to RSVP.

Monday, October 2, 1-2pm EST:
Down Ballot Up Ticket: How Democrats Win in 2024
RSVP here.

Tuesday, October 3, 1-2pm EST:
Cultivating Local Donors for Long-Term Change
RSVP here.

Wednesday, October 4, 1-2pm EST:
Coalition Building for Community Change
RSVP here.

Thursday, October 4, 1-2pm EST:
Messages that Connect: Local Issues and National Narratives
RSVP here.

Day three of Build Blue Week concerns Coalition Building for Community Change . Organizing is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal as a party. Building local coalitions is an essential part of rallying behind candidates and causes. Let’s dive deeper into why effective organizing is truly the best path forward.

At a foundational level, organizing and coalition-building require persuasion. Sometimes “persuasion” can feel like an icky word, like something the advertisers in Mad Men. But in reality, real persuasion on the ground is about empathy. Maurice Mitchell, National Director for the Working Families Party, puts it best:

“Organizing one-on-one is meeting people where they’re at. You’re at their door. You’re interrupting their life. And it requires a level of empathy, compassion, a level of curiosity; to be completely devoid of cynicism, I think, if you want to be an effective organizer. And you have to listen, you have to listen a lot.”

Organizers for elections in 2020 and 2021 in particular faced the unique challenge of COVID-19. Conversations were still critical, but going door-to-door or even hosting events was simply not feasible. While COVID-19 continues to affect communities, the lingering lessons from this era of canvassing are still relevant. Digital or Zoom-based events, for example, are still a great way to lower the barrier of entry for organizing, as people can log on from anywhere.

These takeaways are a starting point for the conversations and more happening during Coalition Building for Community Change, happening Wednesday, October 4 at 1pm ET.

In the New Speaker Spotlight section, we’ll highlight new speakers added to events this week!

Safanya Searcy is joining us for Coalition Building for Community Change! Currently, Safanya oversees SEIU’s National Member Political Programs. In this role, she partners with SEIU Local Unions on the implementation of the union’s national political strategy in an effort to build long-term, sustainable political programs that connect issues important to members to the political fights necessary to win on the issues.

Then, say hi to Emily Zahn of ActBlue, joining for Cultivating Donors for Long Term Change! A fierce advocate for abortion access, Emily serves as the Assistant Director of Movement, Issue, and Charitable Organizations. Emily is an experienced organizer who has worked in the political and reproductive rights fields for over ten years.

Relevant Resources will be your hub for learning guides to supplement the week’s events! Learning guides include guiding questions, links to other relevant coursework, and more.

This week, check out the learning guide for Coalition Building for Community Change, which is focused around field organizing.

Highlights include:

• Local Power Mapping Worksheet: This resource will help you visualize various influencers and leaders in your community that can support your organizing efforts.
• Strategic Planning & Goal Setting Course: This course walks you through the planning process that goes behind the scenes in growing your organizing or campaign.

Build Blue Week brings together a diverse and representative lineup of elected officials, top campaign experts, and leaders of Democratic organizations to provide tools and insight to further Democratic values in your community. Learn more about the events coming your way October 2nd through 5th.

Happy September!

It’s a problem many activists in rural America face. We’re raised not to rock the boat, to sacrifice honesty for politeness (who here has been told “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all?”). In these times, though, it feels like we’ll have nothing left in our towns but decorum, unless we do something about it. That’s a balance we all have to strike as rural activists: being “nice” enough to play well with others without sacrificing true kindness — real, transformative change, fighting for mercy and respite in our communities — along the way. This September, we’re talking about upcoming moments where stopping austerity and injustice demands we abandon what is “nice” for what is truly kind.

This month’s call (and updates from the field)

First things first: our ask, as always, is that you join us for our monthly call. We’re coming together on Wednesday, September 27 at 8pm ET/7pm CT to chat about what the looming government shutdown would mean for Rural America (spoiler: as always, it poses unique challenges for us), why this is a moment where we must abandon decorum and cut to the chase in rural areas (another spoiler: budgets are moral documents, and we all know the morals of this House majority). We’re also going to be talking about the recent impeachment circus, and hopefully demystify why it’s happening and why it’s happening right now. No guarantees that we won’t laugh or cry, or both, while we’re doing that, though. We’ll have some good music for you to boot, so register HERE. Tell your friends. 

While you’re at it, we have an incredible opportunity to help in Ohio! If you want to join the fight to restore reproductive rights in the Buckeye State, sign up for our nationwide October 3 phone bank now!

Tales from the field:

In Durango, Colorado, Indivisible Durango joined partners like Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Southwest Movement for Black Lives, and Four Corners Alliance for Diversity to disrupt a local GOP meeting where a Moms For Liberty chapter leader had been invited to speak. From the Rural Team at Indivisible: amazing work, Indivisible Durango and friends! You can read more about the event here. 

As our education system is being attacked and dismantled by far-right extremists coast to coast, it can be difficult to figure out how to put your (furious) emotions into words and contest the reactionary advances of hate groups that have risen up at the local level. Well, we think that Barbara Smith from Indivisible Auburn did a pretty great job. If you’re looking for inspiration, you can find it by reading her opinion piece in the Sacramento Bee.

We think that this piece from Black By God: The West Virginian exemplifies a struggle a lot of folks in Appalachia and elsewhere have been experiencing: ensuring that funding from the American Rescue Plan is invested justly in marginalized communities in red states. Consider this your reminder to check on how your state and local governments are appropriating the funds we all fought for. 

Bonus content: Here’s a really cool IRA billboard from Wright County Indivisible in West-Central MN! Thanks for sharing, Wright County Indivisible!

Good things,
Indivisible’s Rural Team (Natalie, Rachelle, Scott, Cameron, and Molly)

Indivisible Project
PO Box 43884
Washington, DC 20010
United States